Bowl cleaner



Ap 9., 1940. c. D. MULLER El AL BOWL CLEANER Filed Jan. 12, 1939 Con2,40 fi. M04452. 427/102 Z fii/vafie INVENTOR5. Wa/W ATTORNEY-5.

Patented A r. 9, 1940 Conrad D.

BowL GLEANER Muller, Niles" 'Ibwnslii151 Beirienv County, Mich., andArthur Z; Bender, Chicago,

I 111.; said Bender assignorto said Muller Application January 12, 1939,seriaine. 250,510

I 9 Claims. (01. 15-119) i therethrough and to hold said plates inclamping This invention relates to improvements in bowl a device forcleancleaners, and particularly to ing toilet bowls and the like.

Various cleaners have heretofore beendeveh oped for this purpose, butthese have generally been ofjthe brush type wherein the bristles areheldby a twisted wire which may contact and. mar the china ware inuse,.. and which are sub-' ject to dripping when. wet. Cleaners forother purposes have heretofore been developed which employed spongecleaning" elements and associappliances.

at'ed wringing elementsf However, the limita-I tions of sponges, coupledwith the requirement forlcurved surfaces in a'bowl cleaner haveheretofore barred use of sponges with wringing elements for use as bowlcleaners, to the best of our. knowledge.

It is, therefore, the vention to provide a cleaner having a spongecleaning element with a curved cleaning surface, and a wringing elementfor the cleaning element.

A further object is'to provide a device of this character having acircular cleaning element of sponge character, and rotatable means forwringing said cleaning element; I

A further object is to provide a device of this character having awringing element and novel means for actuating the-same.

A further object is to provide a cleaner wherein 'a' sponge disc issolidly clamped in a bracket which mounts means for actuating a pairofwringer elements rotatable concentrically of and 'of rollers 26extending radially of cleaningelerbearing against oppositesides of saiddisc.

. Other objects will be apparent from the description and appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Fig]. l is a planview of the. cleaner, viewed in the direction of thearrow Ain-Fig, 2.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal fcross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig.l. v

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodiment, ofthe invention, the

numeral l designates a handle which is preferably quite short as. iscommon in hand tools and On one end .offhandle I0 is rigidly mounted acollar H whichfrec'ei'ves the end of said handle. At the outer end ofcollar I! is pro-.

,. vided a pair of spaced parallel plates l2 which preferably extend at;an angle to the axis of collar H, said plates each terminating inasubstantially circular enlarged end portion [3 spaced from collar II. Mi

A sponge rubber disc I4, of a thickness greater than the spacing ofplates I2; is interposed beportions f3 and sponge It to form a passageprimary object of this inrelation to said. sponge.

A rigid sheet metal disc I6, preferably of a size Adjacent its outerperiphery disc i6 is provided with a concentricallyarranged series ofradially slightly smaller than plate portion I3 is positioned.concentric thereto at one side thereof.

elongated closelyspaced apertures I! separated by narrow elongatedradial webs l8.

, An elongated bracket I9 is rigidly secured to one of plates l2 inoutwardly spaced relation to the periphery of disc l6, and extendsradially of :the cleaning element. intermediate its ends, said bracketI9 is provided with an off-set U- shaped bentportion comprising opposedleg'p0r-' tions substantially. parallel to each other and perpendicularto plate l2, and abridge portion 2 [substantially parallel to and spacedfrom plate I2. The inner end portion, 22 of bracket l9' extends past thecenter of disc IS. A The outer leg portion Zllis spaced'outwardly fromdisc It, and the inner leg portion is spaced inwardlyhof' the concentricseries of apertures I1 in disc- I6. One

end of .a shaft23 is journaled in the two leg portions 20 substantiallycentrally thereof, andfixedly mounts a gearqwheel 24 whose teeth areadapted'to enter apertures I! of the disc. The bridgeportion' 2! ofbracket, I9 is positioned'to clear gear 24. Shaft 23 is elongated, and acrank i portion 25 is formed .therein in spaced relation to and oppositehandle Ill.

A rigid frameelement-serves to journal apair is of endless formation.The inner end portion 2'! of saiduframe is journaled in tube l5 andpasses through apertures registering with said 'tube formed disc l6 andend portion 22. of

the frame. One of the radial frame portions 28 has an inwardly directedoff-set portion 29 therein adjacent the inner end of roller 26 journaledthereon, which off-set is rigidly secured to the disc l6 radiallythereof, andthe other frame X portion has an ofi-set forming a shoulder30 adjacent the inner end-of roller 26journaled thereon. An outertransverse portion 3| interconnects the ends of frame portions 28 and isspaced outwardly from the periphery of sponge I' l I When the device isbeing used, the rollers will be positioned closely adjacent bracket l9,thus accommodating use of the outer portion of cleaning element 14without danger of any'met'al pro- 4.5 28 extend outwardly from journalportion 2! of jection striking or scratching the china ware or thesurface being cleaned. The angular disposition of the sponge withrelation to the handle enables the user to reach beneath shoulders,

into pockets and grooves, and generally permits a thorough job ofcleaning to be done conveniently. The curvature of theperipheral edge ofthe cleaning element also facilitates access to pockets or recesses.Sponge rubber .;is commercially available in qualities which insureabsence teeth engage the webs i3 between-apertures H" of disc Id torotate said disc. The dischas a rotating clearance between'plate portionI3 and end portion 22 of bracket is; and is held concentric with thecleaner element Hi by portion 2'! of the roller frame. As the disc Itrotates, it

rotates the rigid roller frame therewith by virtue of thefixedconnection between these parts at 29. Therollers 25, which arejournaled on the rigid roller frameare carried with said rotating frame,and roll over the sides of the flaring marginal portion of the cleaningelement M. The rollers are held in p redetermined' relation againstseparation by frame partsili and 3! which interconnect the endsof ,frameparts 23 on which the rollers are journal'ed. The bracket Iii will limittheextent of rotationof the rollers, but by making plate portions 12wider than bracket t9, the rollers are permitted to traversethe-complete extent of the flared marginal portion of cleaning elementl4, Hence the latter maybe completely wrung by the rollers to insureagainst danger of drippingjof waterfro'm the'sponge cleaning elernentafter use of the device is finished. It will also be observed that thefixed parts of the mechanism'for operating the vvringer rollers are alllocatedadjacent the handle, so that dangerof interference therefrom in,the normaluse of the cleaner, as to scratch or mar the surface. beingcle,aned, may be entirely avoided by exercise of minimum precaution.

Weclaim; H w l. A cleanercomprising a. handle, a carrier mounted on, oneend of said handle andincluding a pair of plates projecting at an angleto said handle, a circular compressible cleaning element gripped betweensaid plates with its marginal portion flaring therefrom a rigidendlessframe having a portion thereof journaled concentrically of said cleaningelement, a pair of rollers journaled on parallel runs of said frameatopposite sides 'of the flaring margin of said cleaning element forwringing the same, aigear, element journaled concentrically of saidcleaning element and fixedly connected to said frame, a bracket fixedlyconnected to said oarrier adjacent saidgear element, acr'ank' journaledin said bracket, and a ,second gear carried by said crank and meshing 2.A, cleaner, comprising a handle, a carrieron' o'ne end oi said handleand including a pair of plates projecting from said handle at an angle"thereto; a circular compressible cleaning element grippedbetween saidplates with its margin fiaring therefrom, a rigid endess frame having apormargin of said cleaning element, a crank jou1- v naled relativetosaid carrier, a gear on saidcrank,

frame. 1

concentrically of saiddisc and including a p ir of parallel armsextending radially of said disc at opposite sides thereof, a rollerjournaled on each arm, a member rotatable concentrically of said discandfixedly secured tosaid frame, andmeans carried by said carrierforrotating said'r'n'ember.

l. A "cleaner comprising a handle, acarrier on the end of said handleand includin a pair of projecting'plate portions, adisc of compressiblematerialgrippedbetween said plateportioiis with its marginflaringtherefrom, a rigid .fr'aniejournaled concentrically of said discand including a'pair of parallel arms'extending radially of said disc atopposite sidesthereof, a Wringer element j ournaled on each arm andengag-eable with said flaring disc margin, and means for rotatingsaid 5.A cleaner comprising a handle,ja"car er mounted on and projecting fromthe endof' said u,

handle, a disc of compressible material "gripped by said'carrier withits margin flaring therefrom,

a rigid frame journaled concentrically ofisaid disc and including radialarms at opposite sides,

of said disc, wringer elements journale'd on'said arms, and means forrotating said frarhewher'eby said wringer elements may wringthelflaringmardin of saiddisc,

6. A cleaner comprising a handle, a carrier comprising acollar'mounted-on said handle and a pair of angularly projecting plateseach'termivnatirig ina circular endp'ortion, a circular'compressiblecleaning element of greater thickness than the spacing between saidplates and of a diameter greater than the diameteroi said sir r 45,gripped between said plates coneentrically of the H circular portionslthereof, whereby its margin cular plate portions, said cleaning elementbeing and grippingthe same said disc projecting from I said carrier infiare'd,relation, 'a pair of rollers on opposite sides ofI-s'aid flareddisc mar"gi'n,a rigid, mounting for said rollers journaledconcentrically of said disc, and meansfor rotatingfs'aid' game)including a, manually ,operableactuator loc'ate'dadjacent'and parallelto said carrier,

8,. A cleaner comprising acarrier hayingjapair of spacedcircular'plateportions, a compressible from said plate portions, and means journaledconcentrically of said discfor wringing said,- flardisc of greaterthickne'ss' than said plate portions gripped concentricallytherebetween, (whereby a flaring margin of said disc-projects outwardlyj ing margin, said means including rotatable members at a fixed distanceapart pressing'ag'ainst' opposite sides ofjsaid'fiaring margin. j j, 9.Acleaner] as def ned in claimdi and meagi located at one side of andparallel'to said carrier for rotating said wringing means,

conRAD' D. MULLE ARTHUR z. BENDER.

